Thinking is as natural as breathing, drinking and eating. People have an innate eagerness to discover things, to reason about the processes and activities they are involved in. But for adults learning a second language in an academic institution various dimensions of thinking play a significant role, including their beliefs, attitudes, their capacity to remember, and the use of strategies. The aim of the article is to list, categorize and define a few (lower order and higher order) thinking skills (according to Bloom’s Taxonomy of 1956 and Newcomb’s and Trefz’s model of 1987) which might contribute to the enhancement of communicative competence in learning and which students might need when studying at the university, particularly when learning the English language. Finally, an implementation of thinking skills and the development of the receptive and productive communication skills in teaching and learning are demonstrated on two university courses run in the English language.